Naea and I parted ways as soon as I received the loot from the Claimant, Reysault. I was less than interested in finding out how the fairy was going to devour the body, even if I was slightly curious whether it would change her. She seemed to imply as much, but the lived existence of the dungeon fairy was not something I cared to explore further. Even with another use of Infusion to launch me away quicker, I heard the revving engine of her feast’s initiation.
After a few minutes and briefly considering trying to find a pool of the Scorpion Queen’s poison to dunk my head in and wash away the memory, I stopped at the edge of the forest zone. With my Perception now at the mighty score of fifty, I could already hear the general clamour of life within. They hadn’t wanted to overwhelm me with information, but I could tell that Merownis and Naea were proud of their work and wanted me to see it.
I could have used Battle Bond to find Merownis, the skill one of the few which didn’t change much along with Spirit Well, Dragonburn and Party Leader. However, with Naea currently indisposed and my body still full of nervous energy, I decided not to. I had started this dungeon alone, with abilities I didn’t understand and no idea what was going on elsewhere.
Time to get back to basics for a while.
The forest area was around ten square miles in densely wooded space. In a concentric ring surrounding the plateau, the desert stretched much further. While it would have taken me only a few minutes to run around the ten mile circumference of the central zone, it had taken me hours to circle it haphazardly in the desert. Even with my random lap, I hadn’t seen the next area at all. It was time to change that.
With a single pulse through Battle Bond telling Merownis I was fine, I chose a direction away from the trees and started running. Beating the Scorpion Queen had been worth all the pain once I looted her because with her death, one of my biggest issues had been solved. I wasn’t talking about her Claimant status bringing me closer to leaving the dungeon, or the experience defeating her had given me. No, looting the Grade One had blessed me more than I could have expected. I didn’t even mind that they weren’t my general style. I was changing in many ways, maybe my wardrobe would be one of them in the long term.
Item - Arachnid Silk Creepers (Uncommon)
A wedge heeled shoe designed to stalk through those places too difficult to normally traverse. Capable of adhering to most surfaces. Capable of removing fraction between shoes and most surfaces.
Though they were “only” an uncommon magical item, I could feel the quality of the boots even before I shoved my feet into them. Quite literally, as they initially were too small for me. Within moments of my mana touching the material, the shoes seemed to wrap themselves around my feet more comfortably. They didn’t have a self-repair function like my bottoms, but I was more than pleased. The enchantments would allow for some interesting opportunities in battle, though they weren’t too useful on sand.
I had received more than just the shoes, but they were the only equipment as part of the haul which included over three thousand gold coins from all the scorpions along with their queen and one more item. I didn’t know when the best time to use it would be, so it was resting in the pouch for now.
Inventory Page (Xaverweave Pouch)
Item
Amount
Gold Coins (Standard Mint)
18,717
Gold Coins (Xaverion Minted)
2758
Sorehammer
1
Jingu Bang
1
Greater Potion of Healing
2
Spurs of the Flurry
1
Endless Inkwell (Grade Zero)
1
Item - Endless Inkwell (Grade Zero) (Uncommon)
The ink of the Spatiarium Squid self replicates at an impressive rate even when removed from the cephalopods themselves. For this reason, it is a desired material for artisans the whole Tree wide. This particular inkwell has been charged with potent mana for an indeterminate amount of time. As such, the ink inside carries a magical signature and has improved mana conductivity with the user.
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I took a moment to glare at the healing potions in my inventory before removing the inkwell and giving it a little shake. A few drops spilled out, but that was obviously not a problem. The only issue was finding a way to make use of it, really. Clearly, the point was to create something with it and I had ideas, but they would have to wait until I got back to my workshop.
It was interesting that it was the first item I had seen which referenced the grades, but all that really meant was there were better versions and I became a little bitter thinking about it.
The magical charge in the ink was clearly the point more than having an unlimited supply of ink for an office. Maybe this was how enchantment was performed? Something told me that wasn’t quite right. That something being Tag, the voice from within my Mind Palace. As time stretched on during my long sprint, my mind wandered and I found myself at the door of the ornate building.
“It’s for inscription,” Tag said, opening the door. I stepped in, feeling the motion of my body even as my mind entered the cool foyer. A wide circular room of white marble and dark purple filigrees, I hadn’t paid it much mind the first time I had been here. I had been somewhat frazzled at the time, still trying to fix my cluttered mana channels, but I had time to take it in now.
To my immediate left were some decadent seats to lounge on, and I went right over as a test. It was a bizarre thing to stretch out and relax while I could positively sense my body getting a slight workout. The room was mostly empty besides the pair of sofas and armchair to one side, simply an entry place to the more complex rooms beyond.
“This place really is beautiful,” I said aloud. The patterns on the walls were my skill sigils, I realised. Each of them exploded and stretched along the marble in gorgeous amethyst detailing. They changed as I watched, with the pattern from the palace itself shifting into the design for Infusion. “Stunning,” I breathed.
“Why thank you,” Tag responded happily. Our appearances had started to differ, and I was now looking at a proud version of myself in the strangest clothes I had ever seen. A high collared grey jacket without sleeves was garishly combined with a long sleeved, blue chequered shirt. He wore red denim jeans and a pair of what I could only describe as cowboy boots. Catching me blinking at his appearance, Tag gave a little twirl. “Picked it myself,” he said with pride.
“Right,” I answered diplomatically, leaving the subject alone. That my mental image was so comfortable looking ridiculous was either a very good or very bad sign. “You said something about inscription? Wuzzat?”
“Well, when we first learned that mana was a thing, the first thing we wanted to do was… what?” Tag asked, attempting to lead me to the answer. I thought back. Other than survival, what had I wanted? Well, learn magic, obviously.
“Wait… spells?” I gave my answer as a question, jumping to my feet with excitement. I was ready to turn around right now and get started when Tag nodded. “Like, real spells? Change the weather, make someone sick, that kind of thing?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure, but that’s the general idea I think. You spend time drawing a skill onto some specially prepared material and infuse it with mana while you do. Then those drawings, or formations, become a one-use spell.”
“Oh, only a single use?” My excitement drained ever so slightly. “I can see the value in having prepared skills, I guess.”
“Free, instant use skills which generally far exceed the energy required to make them. It’s more about the ability of the inscriber and the amount of mana they use to create the formation, but generally they’re very strong. You’re also thinking a little too small, I think.” Tag had a look on his face I knew well. One I made when I was excited to know something someone else didn’t. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. It wouldn’t do to get genuinely annoyed with what was essentially myself.
“Oh go on” I groaned. “What could we do with a decent inscription? Give me an example.”
“Well, since you asked so wonderfully,” Tag crowed, “you could… erect a one-time barrier around your house that only you can enter and exit.” The skill version of me in the crazy clothes looked at me expectantly as my eyebrows rose. “Yeah. How about a one time use heal which could recover all of your health points in a few seconds? Or a formation which you’ve poured a few thousand mana into for a single big boom?”
“Okay, yep, I get it. I understand why you basically dragged me in here, this Inkwell is a powerful item, huh?” I tossed it in the air, catching it and then using the small opening at the top to collect the falling ink drops. Such was my speed that not a single splatter landed on the white floor.
“Just so,” Tag answered, not amused by my acrobatic trick. “Don’t forget about it like you did the health potions and the spurs.”
“I didn’t forget… about…” I withered a little under Tag’s glare. “I didn’t forget the spurs.”
Tag said nothing, just raising an eyebrow before starting to walk off. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.” More than willing to leave that slight embarrassment behind, I slipped out of the Mind Palace and into my still-running body. I hadn’t forgotten the Spurs of the Flurry, I just wasn’t ready to use them before the battle with Reysault. Not before I found my wonderful new shoes.
Item - Spurs of the Flurry
These sharp spurs were crafted using a metal primarily used in the construction of memorials for prominent elementals. The air-based mana infused within these spurs allow the user to take steps on the wind themselves.
It hadn’t seemed worth it to attach them to my flimsy old shoes, as I wasn’t sure whether they would work forever. It was entirely possible if they were used on shoes which then fell apart, the enchantment would fail. That was exactly the sort of thing I would do if I were a capricious and evil System. The ground continued to slip away beneath my feet as I pounded the sand while letting my thoughts wander randomly as they wished.
I continued that way until the temperature began to drop and the sun slipped behind some quickly appearing clouds. Pulling myself out of my daydreaming, I saw that I must have been a mile into the changing climate, I simply hadn’t noticed. That at least bode well, as my first steps in the desert proper were extremely painful. I wouldn’t have to worry so much about exposure thanks to higher stats than before. Still, while I could continue, I chose to turn around, my mission complete.
The next area was going to be a frigid wasteland, which was honestly unsurprising. It looked like it was going to be intense. Spinning on my heel, I wasn’t upset to get back to the full warmth of the desert as I aimed towards my workshop. I had learned my lesson when it came to rushing into danger headfirst. I needed to get some warm clothes, and it was time to see how the monsters of the forest zone were doing.